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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/23470192">A Severe Lapse In Judgement</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/LilacCrocuta/pseuds/LilacCrocuta'>LilacCrocuta</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Medieval Septiplier [24]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Video Blogging RPF</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Angst and Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Mild Blood, Protective Tyler</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-04-04</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-04-04</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-01 06:03:07</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Mature</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Graphic Depictions Of Violence</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,482</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/23470192</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/LilacCrocuta/pseuds/LilacCrocuta</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Sir Ethan slips up. Featuring a surprise guest appearance!</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Ethan Nestor/Tyler Scheid, Mark Fischbach/Sean McLoughlin</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Medieval Septiplier [24]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1681588</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>40</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>A Severe Lapse In Judgement</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Mark's high status was as much a bad thing as it was a good thing, sometimes.</p>
<p>For one, there was barely a person in Youtubia who didn't know who he was. For another thing, some of those people who knew of him didn't exactly like having him around.</p>
<p>Within that year, King Mark had endured <em>three</em> assassination attempts, plus one capture, after which he was brought home safe and sound by his loyal knights and lover.</p>
<p>Henceforth, during his speeches and announcements, he always made sure to have his bodyguard and one of his best knights, Sir Tyler, close at hand.</p>
<p>Tyler was not only one of his dearest childhood friends, but he was tall, and built like a brick house. In addition, his steely blue eyes could stare straight into a potential attacker and frighten them before he even had to reach for his sword, thus earning him the nickname "Stonefaced Tyler".</p>
<p>Needless to say, having a bodyguard around was rather helpful for the king. So what happened when that bodyguard had to leave for a day, to be with family?</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Sir Ethan stood to the right of Mark's throne, his keen eyes scanning over the assembled crowd in the room, as the next peasant in line was assisted to the front by Sir Seán. The king had gathered more of his people together to not only give the announcement that he and Seán were now engaged, but to let them ask him questions regarding any food shortages, housing, etc., because he believed that it was better than merely printing out a newsletter and having them find out that way. He adored letting his people feel free to speak personally with him, since he wanted to remind them that he was not in fact, some godly figure to be feared, but that he was a human, just like them.</p>
<p>The smallest knight briefly glanced over at the newcomer, an elderly woman who softly congratulated both Seán and Mark on their engagement, then proceeded to ask the king about the recent drought in the area. He smiled, then refocused on the crowd--</p>
<p>"DOWN WITH KING MARK!" Immediately, he felt his stomach drop as a rather burly-looking man--the next in line, behind the elderly woman, actually--abruptly lunged, knocking Seán flat on the ground with one punch to the nose, and at once, the room erupted into a chaotic mess of screams and movement.</p>
<p>The assailant charged the woman, shoving her into the arms of Sir Bob, as Sir Wade scrambled to haul Mark away from Seán and to safety while the king struggled against him. Sir Ethan hurried to help him with getting Mark out of there, heart pounding in his chest as he saw the assailant reach them first, pulling a small blade out of his baggy pocket--</p>
<p>But he never got to use it on the king or Wade, because at once, a wall of muscle abruptly tackled him from the left.</p>
<p>The attempted assassin and his adversary crashed to the ground with an audible impact, and Ethan let out his breath as it became evident that Mark was safe. He risked a glance back at Sir Bob, who was now hauling Sir Seán's limp form away from there so he wouldn't be trampled by the nearby stampede of people who were being led to the safety exits by Sir Patrick and Sir Gar.</p>
<p>With a flutter of relief tickling his innards, he glanced over at Mark's rescuer and hurried to him as he stood up, back turned to him and the assailant out cold with a bloody nose at his feet.</p>
<p>And as soon as he reached the side of Mark's bodyguard, he did what he usually did with Sir Tyler now, and promptly spun him around, then kissed him on the cheek.</p>
<p>Except the moment he did, he remembered--Tyler had left the palace that morning to be with his family.</p>
<p>Sir Alex, the Temporary Replacement Bodyguard, immediately mistook the accidental kiss as something far worse, and cracked him across the face so hard that Ethan swore he was bleeding.</p>
<p>As he stumbled back, holding his stinging, burning cheek, he caught the look of surprise, then bewilderment, then utmost horror on Alex's face. But he was just as embarrassed as the Temporary Replacement Bodyguard was. He'd just <em>kissed</em> him, mistaking him for his lover, Sir Tyler.</p>
<p>The brunet felt <em>filthy.</em> He felt as though he wanted to throw up.</p>
<p>Before even giving Sir Alex a chance to apologize, he staggered out of the room, unable to hold back the heaving sobs that tore out of him on the way to his own quarters.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>"Where is Sir Ethan? I haven't seen him since the attack." King Mark pointed out later that evening, as he sat beside Seán's bedside. The Irishman was still very much out cold from the blow he'd sustained to his face, and his nose had been revealed to be broken by Lady Evelyn, but their faithful medical expert had straightened it and then put it in a cast. The only thing left to do now was hope that the pain wouldn't be too agonizing for Seán when he awoke.</p>
<p>To the left of the king, Sir Bob and Sir Wade shrugged, glancing briefly at one another.</p>
<p>"I'm afraid we haven't seen him either. However, Sir Alex informed me of a...er, rather unfortunate incident that occurred while the throne room was being cleared out." The former knight quietly explained.</p>
<p>Mark raised an eyebrow, as his friend filled him in on what had happened, and his face fell at once.</p>
<p>"He <em>kissed</em> him?" Both knights gave a solemn nod, and the king glanced down with a rough exhale. He shook his head. "Sir Tyler mustn't know."</p>
<p>"Aye, your highness."</p>
<p> </p>
<p>It was a miracle to Sir Ethan when Sir Tyler returned to the palace, early the next morning. However, the horrid memories of yesterday afternoon were still fresh, as was the injury on his left cheek.</p>
<p>As the smallest knight lay curled up in bed, he gingerly reached up to feel the tiny cut there, crusty with dried blood and very sore to the touch. With a soft wince, he pulled his fingers away from the wound, sniffling against his pillow as the thought that had been tormenting him since the attack returned with a vengeance.</p>
<p>
  <em> I'm a traitor. A filthy bag of scum.</em>
</p>
<p>He was alerted from those taunting thoughts only for a moment at the sound of footsteps heading to his door, and cringed as he heard someone knock on it.</p>
<p>"Ethan? Are you up, dearest?"</p>
<p>It was Tyler.</p>
<p><em> Oh no….</em> The small knight swallowed, wiping his tearstained face.</p>
<p><em>"Y-yes…"</em> He croaked out. The door to his bedroom immediately swung open, revealing his lover, just as Sir Tyler's pleased expression morphed into one of slight horror.</p>
<p>Ethan hadn't looked in a mirror since he'd been slapped, but now he knew the wound was very much visible.</p>
<p>Tyler strode over to his bedside and sat down beside the younger man at once, and Sir Ethan looked away, shutting his eyes in shame.</p>
<p>Had Tyler known what had happened? Probably not, he figured. And that made it even worse, because now he had to tell him that he'd made the mistake of kissing another man, that he should be thrown out of the castle as far away from Tyler as possible, because he was not only disloyal, but unworthy of the love the other knight had been so kind to give him.</p>
<p>The taller man's hand gently found his chin, lifting it without turning Ethan's head, and there was a brief moment of silence. Then, he spoke.</p>
<p>"Ethan….who did this?"</p>
<p>The younger man bit his lip, daring to open his eyes to look up at him.</p>
<p><em> "I-it was Sir Alex."</em> He finally choked out. As Sir Tyler visibly stiffened, he went on. <em>"It was my mistake, really. I--Tyler? Tyler, where are you going?"</em></p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em>
    <strong>"GET OUT!" </strong>
  </em>
</p>
<p>Mark's head snapped up from where he sat in Lady Evelyn's office at the sound of Sir Tyler's utterly enraged roar from outside.</p>
<p><em>What on earth--?</em> Hearing rapid footsteps pounding the floor outside of the room, he immediately stood up and made his way to the doorway, just in time to see a massive blur dart by his face, squealing like a pig. Barely a heartbeat later, another blur came storming down the hall, stopping in front of the doorway to huff and straighten his pale orange robes. Sir Tyler looked angrier than Mark had ever seen him, his body shaking and eyes ablaze. Once he caught sight of the king, however, he visibly collected himself, clearing his throat.</p>
<p>"Your highness," The brunet addressed him. "See to it that <em>Alex</em> is stripped of his title and thrown out of this castle at once."</p>
<p>Mark swallowed, but gave him a nod.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>For those of y'all who didn't know, the Alex in this fic is in fact Alex from Unus Annus and Hybrid Wellness! Conveniently, literally the day after I wrote this, Tyler uploaded a video on his channel where he met him, which shocked the hell outta me.<br/>Stay indoors, stay safe, don't touch your face, and peace out!</p></blockquote></div></div>
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